Middles on a Mission – Dynamic Middles from the PD Resolution

Middles have a tough job. They need to have good endurance, a solid vertical, and the ability to react quickly to the ball on both sides of the net. A solid middle block can make or break a team’s defense and having a middle hitter as a go-to hitter can determine the success of an offense. 

These middles impressed from start to finish at the Prep Dig Resolution Tournament. 

Marissa Corso Marissa Corso MB Neenah | 2023 State WI - Impact 17 National - Class of 2023

Marissa is a great middle who has an amazing and consistent read of opposing setters and hitters. She consistently puts up a solid block and uses her speed to react and beat the ball to its destination. She also has a high jump and reach which makes her a lethal hitter, especially when she is running a slide. 

Meghan Schultz Meghan Schultz 6'3" | MB New Berlin West | 2023 State WI - Motion 16 Blue - Class of 2023

Meghan is a very powerful hitter and at 6’3” puts up a simply massive block. She is very effective on offense and defense and has a lot of potential to dominate in the middle this season and in future seasons. Meghan is a natural athlete who does a great job staying involved in every play. 

Gianna Vollrath Gianna Vollrath 6'1" | MB Fall Creek | 2022 State WI - FC Elite 17 Navy - Class of 2022

Gianna has a great vertical and is very aggressive on offense. She always makes herself available to hit and keeps opposing blockers on their toes. Gianna has a clean swing and solid form on hitting and blocking. Her consistency means she gets a lot of touches on the block and is also a go-to hitter on her team. 

Bailey Halliburton - Motion 17 Blue - Class of 2022

Bailey is an excellent blocker. She presses hard and consistently on her block and rarely makes mistakes. She is also good at reading opposing setters and timing her block well with the pins on her team. Bailey has a good swing as well and is an all-around solid middle. 

Sydney Bartels Sydney Bartels 5'11" | OH Freedom | 2023 State WI - FC Elite 16 Navy - Class of 2023

Sydney is a fast and high-flying middle. She explodes off the ground and uses every inch of her vertical to press over the net. She is also very smart as a hitter and runs extremely fast plays. Her speed and power tend to take opposing blockers by surprise giving her great shots to hit on a regular basis!

Sarah Burow - River City 17 Blue - Class of 2022

Sarah is very talented at netplay. She is scrappy in the front row and can make a play out of any set or ball that comes over the net. Sarah is quick to identify where a setter is going and pushes herself to close every block. This was the first time I had the opportunity to see Sarah play and I was very impressed with her play at the net. 

Amber Van de Hei - 1W Bay 18 Mizuno - Class of 2021

https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1345789114084433921

Amber is an explosive middle. She is an energizer on the court and is the kind of athlete you can count on to make momentum-changing plays. She has a fast arm-swing and a quick snap and she out-paces many opposing middles. Amber is a fun athlete to watch on the court and makes seamless connections with her setters. 

Keep an eye out for these middles as the season progresses, their connections with setters get smoother, and they get faster at reading opposing setters. These middles were very dynamic in every match this past weekend and should be on everyone’s radar.